Interest in how divergent cultural beliefs about ‘maleness’ are fabricated, maintained and performed, and public disquiet about ‘troubled’ boys and men, are both reflected in recent moving image studies and theories seeking to rethink conventional notions of biology and masculinity as fixed and unitary. Exploring film, television and small screen examples the unit addresses leading structuralist and poststructuralist explanations for how audiences engage with and are influenced by on-screen masculinity performances and stories. Do moving images ‘reflect’ or ‘teach’ masculinities? How powerful are these media? The unit de-naturalizes commonsense and essentialist ideas about gender, and... -- Course Website
Instructor: L Star
